City comparison
Fort Smith, AR is about 200 miles (350 km) from Jonesboro, AR in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 250 miles, or about 4 h 15 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Fort Smith, AR to Jonesboro, AR takes about 25 min, covering roughly 200 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Fort Smith has a population of 89,315, vs 78,379 in Jonesboro — about 1.1× larger by population. By land area, Jonesboro covers about 80 sq mi vs 64 sq mi for Fort Smith.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Fort Smith | Jonesboro | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $798/mo | $871/mo | 9.1% higher in Jonesboro |
| Median home value | $155,600 | $196,100 | 26.0% higher in Jonesboro |
| Median household income | $50,799 | $51,124 | 0.6% higher in Jonesboro |
| Groceries index | 94.1 | 94.0 | ≈ equal (Fort Smith slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 75.7 | 76.8 | 1.4% higher in Jonesboro |
| Transportation index | 95.8 | 95.8 | ≈ equal (Fort Smith slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 95.3 | 95.3 | ≈ equal (Fort Smith slightly higher) |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Fort Smith, you'd need $100,605 in Jonesboro to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Fort Smith and Jonesboro have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Fort Smith, you'd need about $80,484 in Jonesboro to keep the same standard of living.